I am now ready to rule on the point of order raised yesterday by the member for Oakville North—Burlington concerning unparliamentary language.
In her intervention, the member alleged that the member for Thornhill used unparliamentary language in her characterization of the government House leader. She also asked for an apology to the minister. The parliamentary secretary to the government House leader reiterated he had also heard the use of the term “disgrace”, and that it was unparliamentary. He asked that the member apologize.
Without denying that the words had been used, the member for Thornhill, in her response, instead repeated the word, in reference to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.
In judging unparliamentary language, the tone, intentions and effects on proceedings must be taken into consideration. I will point out that the term did create a series of heated back-and-forth exchanges between members. This event is of concern to the Chair given the risk it may create for disorder.
In a ruling on another point of order about unparliamentary language, the Chair stated on March 29, 2022, at page 3739 of Debates:
The use of inflammatory and provocative statements is contrary to the respect owed to all members. Accordingly, the Chair reminds members to be mindful of the language they use in debate, with respect to their colleagues, in order to maintain proper civility and respect in our proceedings.
The events from last Friday have deeply upset all members. There have been tense and even emotional exchanges on how this situation came to pass. In this context, I would suggest to the House that it is incumbent upon all members to bolster their efforts in being respectful and courteous in their interventions. Without qualifying the words used by the member for Thornhill as being unparliamentary, they certainly did not serve to support and promote the essential civility and respect owed by one honourable member to another. I therefore encourage members to refrain from using such words again in the future.